


Fractured epoch

by Mah_cat_typed_this



Series: DadMao and Badgerdad [2]
Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Child Neglect, Daddy Issues, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Feels, Fluff, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Magical Artifacts, Major Character Injury, Pirates, Shin Mao is a horrible parent, Swordfighting, Team as Family, Time Travel, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 20:29:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20233903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mah_cat_typed_this/pseuds/Mah_cat_typed_this
Summary: When the sky pirates try to steal an ancient time travelling artifact for their evil plans, it's the trio's job to stop them before it's too late, however, an accident during the chase might mark the start of a much bigger adventure.Can the team survive their demons from the past? Will Orangusnake finally become a legendary pirate? Can Mao Mao overcome his daddy issues?Probably not.





	1. Into the dungeon

Darkness.

There was nothing but an ocean of darkness.

The air was stuffy, the distinct smell of dust didn't help at all in making the place any more bearable to be in.

It seemed like a labyrinth, they've been walking for almost an hour now and there was no sign of their destination, it felt like they were walking in circles. They also had Adorabat with them, who was a young child and such a stale air shouldn't be even close to healthy for her. Mao Mao had given her his cape, which she had placed on her mouth and nose, keeping her from inhaling so much dust, Badgerclops was constantly using his fan on her, too. They were adults, they could bear it, they had to protect Adorabat.

"Mao, are you sure we didn't already pass through here? I'm pretty sure I've seen these skeletons before." Badgerclops said, letting Adorabat sit on his shoulder.

"Yes, I'm sure." The black cat growled. "Look, we haven't seen that plant yet."

The badger followed where his friend was pointing at, finding that, indeed, there was a plant that was, somehow, growing from a pile of bones from an unfortunate adventurer.

"See, I told you we hadn't been here."

"Wow, a plant, just admit you're lost."

"No, I am not lost!" He turned to face Badgerclops, baring his sharp teeth, his ears flattened to his head. He definitely wasn't lost, legendary heroes don't get lost, that's for beginners.

"Alright then, if you're not lost, then where are supposed to go now?" He pointed ahead of them, showing that the way split in four.

Mao Mao stared for a few moments before Badgerclops spoke again, louder this time.

"Ha! Got you."

"Shut it!" The badger continued smiling in victory. At the beginning, it was easy to tell the way, they could smell Orangusnake and his crew from a mile away, just follow the scent and catch up with them. However, the deeper they went, the stronger the smell of dust and rotting flesh, it was hard to track anything at that point.

"Looks like that nose of yours ain't that good," He chuckled. "that's what happens when you let a cat do the work of a dog."

"At least I'm not a trash digger skunk." He grumbled, just loud enough that Badgerclops could hear.

"What?! Rude, man!" He crossed his arms, Mao Mao grinned devilishly.

"Just speaking the truth, my dear skunk friend."

"I'm a badger!" 

"What's the difference?"

Badgerclops growled, baring his fists and stomping towards the black cat, who didn't even flinch.

"Well, at least I'm not a tailless hero wannabe!"

Mao Mao's eyes widened, his stunned expression quickly shifted into an enraged one.

"Repeat that," He growled. " I dare you." 

The tone of his voice was enough to send a shiver down Adorabat's spine.

_"Tailless_ _hero wannabe." _Badgerclops responded without missing a beat. "Are your ears not functioning too? You're getting old, you stinky cat."

There was a moment of silence between them before all the hell went loose.

"You're always digging trash and  _ I'm  _ the one who smells bad? What kind of brain defect makes one come up with that logic?!"

Before Badgerclops could speak, Mao Mao added: "Oh, that's right, you don't have a brain in the first place!"

"Excuse me? I have a perfectly fine brain, unlike yours that is the size of an almond!" He proved his point by making a small circle with his paws and placing it on top of Mao Mao's head.

"See? Fits perfectly."

He got his paw slapped away in response.

"Uh… guys?"

"You can't say anything about my brain, you gave a deadly weapon to a child!"

"Whatever, bad luck omen."

"Excuse me?!"

"Guys?" She was ignored again.

"One eyed freak."

"Hey!"

"If you can make fun of my tail, I can make fun of your eye!"

Badgerclops was stunned for a moment before growling and turning away.

"You should be a villain, you stupid black cat, you look like one, dress like one, and are a rude jerk just like one!"

Mao Mao gasped and growled at the badger. "Are you questioning my heroic lineage?"

"I'm not questioning your "lineage"" he made air quotes with his claws, "the one I'm questioning is  _ you!" _

_ "Guys!!!" _

Adorabat's shout silenced the both of them. They turned their heads to face the young child, who was glaring at them disapprovingly.

"Why are you fighting?! We need to go or the pirates are going to get the artifact before us!"

The little bat flapped her wings in despair. Both cat and badger shared a quick look before coming to comfort Adorabat.

"She's right, we can't let those pesky pirates get that artifact before us." Mao Mao sighed, turning to the four different ways their paths split into.

"But I lost their tracks, I don't know where they went."

Suddenly, Adorabat's ears twitched, she looked surprised before gasping in glee. 

"Uh… Adorabat?" Badgerclops asked, but he was ignored as she flew just where the path split, she landed on the one on the far right.

_ "Echo!" _

Without a word of warning, she shouted as loud as she could, Adorabat might be small, but she sure could scream loud, so loud that it scared both of her teachers. Well, Badgerclops just flinched and covered his ears, Mao Mao jumped in the air and let out the funniest meow they had ever seen, his fur immediately ruffling up.

Badgerclops immediately burst out laughing, his friend was staring at Adorabat in an almost panicked way, panting and looking like a walking ball of fur with eyes and a sword. 

"W-- Adorabat why--- Hey you stop laughing!" He said once he saw there was no danger, his face contorting into an enraged frown.

"Hahahahaha!" Badgerclops wheezed. "Y-you… bwahahaha! Oh my God, your  _ fur!" _

Mao Mao looked at himself and saw that his fur was, indeed, ruffled up. He immediately started grooming it back in place with his fingers, giving his friend a look of indignation, a hint of red on his cheeks.

Adorabat shushed them before sharpening her senses and waiting for the sound to come back.

The soundwaves eventually returned, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She couldn't remember who taught her that trick, or if anyone did teach it to her, it could have very well been an instinct of hers. Once all of the sounds came back, she had an entire map of what's ahead of them through that path. She frowned, that one didn't seem very promising.

"This one doesn't look very good… I'll try the next!" The little bat hopped on to the next path.

"Whoa there, little fella," Badgerclops said, a worried frown on his face. "what are you even doing?"

"I don't know!" Adorabat answered, a bright smile on her face.

She repeated the process again, leaving Badgerclops and Mao Mao staring at her in disbelief and a little bit of worry.

After doing that one more time, getting yet another negative result, she turned to the fourth path, it had to be this one.

She shouted again and waited.

And waited.

…

Nothing came back.

She gasped, it could only mean one thing; there was a wide, open area ahead of them.

"I found it!" She flapped her wings, flying ahead of the duo, who called out to her and ran after her. Like she had predicted, they eventually reached a wide room, it was dark, the only source of light was in the middle of the room, small, it appeared like a star in the night sky to them. But the heroes had night vision, being from nocturnal species sure had its perks, and that allowed them to see something amazing; there were treasures everywhere the eye could see. From money to weapons made from the strongest materials on earth, there was any and everything one could think of, they were stunned by the sight that reached their eyes.

"Wow… good job Adorabat!" Badgerclops said, petting the little bat's head.

"I can't believe we actually got here before that Orangusnake and his crew." There was a hint of amusement in his voice. Mao Mao started walking through the sea of riches that would make any wandering adventurer swoon, each pawstep was silent and careful, his eyes scanning through every inch of the place, looking for traps or any sign of danger nearby. Once he saw the coast was clear, he immediately broke his cool stance and dived straight into the pile of material riches, his black fur disappearing completely in the ocean of coins and gold.

"Mao?!--- Oh my God, dude…"

"Don't worry!" The cat emerged, wearing at least four different pairs of earrings, a bunch of necklaces, gold bracelets and a crown on his head. "It's one of those dungeons that has all of its traps on the way, but none on the treasure room!" 

He submerged again, giggling maniacally to himself, surely hoarding as many goods as he could fit in his pockets.

Badgerclops could only stare in disbelief as Adorabat followed his example and dove straight into the pile as well, they both emerged once again, covered with expensive adornments, complementing each other's looks and laughing in glee.

"Guys! Seriously, we have to get that artifact before Orangustink gets here!" 

"Awww, alright…" Adorabat sighed, removing the earrings, crowns and necklaces she got for herself. "Can we pick them up later?"

"Yeah yeah, sure, if we have time… c'mon Mao! We need to hurry!" 

"I'm coming, I'm coming… alright, let's go."

He stepped out of the pile, wearing so many adornments he was barely recognizable for the other two.

"Mao… no." Badgerclops said, sending Mao Mao a disapproving glare. 

"What?"

"Put those back."

"No."

"Mao Mao, we're losing time!" He exclaimed.

The black cat sighed, rolled his eyes and started to throw the riches he got back in the pile, mumbling something to himself.

Badgerclops extended his metal arm towards the small object that emitted the soft blue light, he grabbed it and pulled it to them, thankfully, like Mao Mao had said, there weren't any traps around the treasure room.

The artifact in question was a small, clock like object, it's glow wasn't as strong as it seemed from afar, it was probably thanks to the almost complete darkness that involved them.

"Alright, I got it, let's go." Badgerclops said and the three of them immediately turned to leave, once they went past that path, the artifact would be safe from the pirates and they could work on finding a new place for it where it wouldn't fall on the wrong hands.

"Stop right there, you fools!"

Oh no…

They turned around, only to find Orangusnake and his crew standing on the other entrance of the room, everyone but him seemed exhausted from running blindly through the labyrinth, but the pirate captain was standing tall, glaring at the heroes with fervor.

"You pass that artifact to me and no one gets hurt, got it?" He said, bringing his weapon out.

"Uhm… lemme think…" Mao Mao placed his paw on his chin, faking a thoughtful expression, then he smiled. "Not a chance, Orangustink."

"It's Orangusnake!" He shouted and ran towards the heroes, letting out an enraged war cry.

"Get the artifact out, I'll distract them." Mao Mao said, his golden katana shining in the darkness of the room.

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, just go."

The badger and the bat ran out of the treasure room, holding the precious artifact. It didn't feel right to just leave their friend like that, but they knew Mao Mao could take care of himself, hopefully they'd be able to escape without any more complications.

The pirate captain leapt and swung his sword, Mao Mao gracefully dodged at the last moment, doing a backflip mid air and landing a few feet away from him, a smug grin on his face the entire time. 

Orangusnake hissed, readying his weapon again and dashing towards the black cat. For every swing of his sword, a new crack was made on the floor and walls, he was training everyday to improve his fighting capabilities, he dared to say he was much stronger than he used to be before he finally found the legendary pure heart valley, and its protectors. He threw several small knives at Mao Mao and then swung his sword to the direction he had dodged, a new move he made just for the hero, he had managed to steal from many unsuspecting adventurers that got close to the valley with it. It was efficient, yes, but it still wasn't enough to fulfill its initial objective, cats were agile, and Mao Mao had swiftly dodged both the knives and his sword.

"Is that all you got?" The cat tilted his head and crossed his arms.

It absolutely enraged him when he did that, just underestimate him and think he wasn't a threat. It reminded him of his childhood, of his entire life before he became a pirate, as he stole and caused fear just by his name, he thought being looked down by others was in the past for him, but that fleabag had the audacity of underestimating the greatest pirate of all times.

He'd pay for that, they all will.

"No, it is not… once I get my hands on that artifact, I'll be the most powerful pirate the world has ever seen!"

He grinned maniacally, already imagining all the glory, recognition and respect he'd get. "I guess I'll erase you and your little friends from existence as well!"

He let out the most evil laugh he could, craving the sweet revenge on those heroes.

"Or maybe I'll let you live…" Orangusnake said, a fake tone of sympathy on his voice, then he grinned, showing his sharp fangs. "Living the rest of your life in a cell, watching me take over the world! Muahahahaha!"

"Maybe I'll make the three of you my personal servants! Muahahaha! How evil I am!" 

He was suddenly snapped out of his fantasy by Mao Mao's voice.

"First off: I'd throw myself off the ship before that ever happens, second off: that's a lot of talk for someone who can't even land a hit on me, Orangustink."

His expression immediately became an enraged scowl. " _ It's Orangusnake! _ "

He attacked again, only to miss once again, Mao Mao laughing in amusement.

\------

Badgerclops and Adorabat continued running through the labyrinth (or flying in Adorabat's case), going as fast as they could. 

The badger was holding the artifact, following the little bat as she guided him through the paths, that little trick of hers sure was useful, why did she never used it before?

Suddenly, they heard small steps following them.

"Uh?" Badgerclops looked over his shoulder, his eye widening at what he saw. Ratarang was there, quickly dashing past them, thanks to his small size, he was able to sneak past the others as they fought. Badgerclops wondered if this was all part of their plan or if it had just been yet another unfortunate coincidence.

"Pass that artifact!" The rat leaped on Badgerclops' fur and climbed to his outstretched hand in the blink of an eye. In a panic, the badger threw the object in question before the rat could get his paws into it.

"Adorabat!" 

She turned around, emitting a soft gasp as she saw the clock like object flying towards her, Ratarang also jumping after it.

Adorabat stretched her wing, Ratarang stretched his paw.

They both got it at the exact same time.

Adorabat shook the artifact and made several air stunts to loosen the rat's grip on it. It unfortunately wasn't very effective on making Ratarang dizzy, he was used to spin around after all, but it was sure hindering his movements, and Adorabat didn't seem to have any plans to stop before he let go.

But holding onto things is hard when you have a peg leg.

Her heart skipped a beat as the clock slipped from her paw. Ratarang also didn't have any chance of getting it, his paw also has slipped from the sudden movement.

It felt like the world went in slow motion.

Adorabat, Ratarang and Badgerclops all dived to save the artifact. Just for a moment, there wasn't any rivalry, no pirates, no heroes, just a common intention of saving that artifact, no matter which one of them did it, they'd solve that later, but someone had to.

The clock broke into several pieces as it touched the hard floor.

The entire cave was involved by a blinding blue light.

And then…

There was nothing.

Everything went back to normal, the treasures were back, the heroes and pirates were gone. Everything was like it had always been for thousands of years.

Except for one thing…

The small clock, which was the only source of light in the dungeon, was no longer. There was not a trace of any of their existences.

Darkness.

There was nothing but an ocean of darkness.


	2. Hi Mao Mao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adorabat and Mao Mao find each other.. kinda.

It hurt.

And by the heavens it hurt.

He felt like his body was being ripped apart piece by piece, everything hurt, but his head was surely the worst, he had never felt such a horrible headache before. He couldn't breathe. All he remembered was battling… someone… he couldn't remember who, nor why, it was hard to focus on anything with such a terrible pain.

  
Eventually, he was able to open his eyes. There was a blinding light everywhere, making him struggle to keep them open, his sensitive eyes suffered.

  
In the light, there was a familiar silhouette, it was large and shaped strangely, a serpentine head and a bulky body, but he had a feeling he knew them, they also seemed to be in pain, just like he was. Suddenly, they lifted their gaze, their eyes were strange… the figure struggled against whatever force was holding them in place and reached towards the cat, their large, strong hand grabbed his neck firmly and brought him closer. Mao Mao struggled with whatever strength he had left, but was unsuccessful in escaping from the other's grasp. They did seem in pain, but he  
was in much more. Why? Who were they? Why were they doing this?

  
The figure raised their other hand, making a fist like he planned to punch him. He didn't have the energy to fight against him.

  
Their wicked smile faded into fear as the light around them intensified, so did his pain.

The figure abruptly let him go, making him fall on the ground like a ragdoll, hissing in agony.

  
Not a second later, everything was pure white. His pain was gone, that familiar figure was gone, he was gone.

He was finally able to breath.

From pure white, everything became black.

____

She didn't know what was going on.

The last thing she remembered was being swallowed by an ocean of light. Her poor eyes were unable to see anything, she tried to shield them using her wings, but it didn't help as much as she would have hoped. It was like the light wasn't coming just from one direction, she couldn't hide from it, couldn't turn her head away.

  
It hurt a lot too.

Once the pain finally stopped and the light faded, she took the opportunity to rest, how long itwas ever since, she didn't know, it could have been seconds ago or hours.  
But as her consciousness came back, she noticed a few things.

  
First, she felt strangely numb. She couldn't feel anything in her body, her wings, her body, not even her sensitive ears.

  
Secondly, the light was back. It wasn't a fraction of the strength it previously was, but it was still there, even if it was faint.

  
But it was strange, just like before, no matter where she tried to turn her head or close her eyes, it was as if the light was everywhere, as if… it were inside her.

  
"Hey… are you okay?"

  
'Uh? Who said that?'

  
"Uh… hello?"

  
She tried to open her eyes, but soon regretted it, her head was spinning and her body was still numb.

  
"Can you hear me?"

  
There's that voice again.

  
Suddenly, she felt a small and soft paw touch her side. She gasped in surprise and whoever  
was there pulled their paw back, after a few seconds, the young bat gathered enough strengthto open her eyes.

  
Everything was blurry, her eyes taking some time to focus, for a few, short seconds, all she could see was green, there was green everywhere she tried to look, as if she were in some sort of forest. As her vision began to focus, she could see the individual leaves, the trunks of the trees, the small flowers that hid amongst the ocean of green, some rocks here and there… yup, she was definitely in a forest.

  
She didn't remember being in a forest, how did she get here?

  
Wait, where was she before this?

She was… in a cave, and she was holding something, there were some people with her too, she was holding something and trying to keep them from getting it… that thing…

  
Wait…

  
Her eyes widened and she gasped as the memories returned to her. That thing was the artifact, they were trying to keep Orangusnake from getting it, but they ended up dropping it and…

  
"Hey! Are you awake now?"

  
Adorabat let out a small yelp of surprise, her wings flapping helplessly on the ground, looking to thes her wide yellow eyes met very familiar green ones. Right in front of her was a little black cat, green, curious eyes that she could have sworn she had seen before many times before, they wore red overalls, the color combination making them  
even more familiar to her, their tail wagged slowly behind them.

  
Adorabat was stunned, that little kitty was exactly like--

  
"Oh! You woke up!" They spoke once again, a bright smile forming in their face, "You gave me quite scare."

  
Seeing her still shaken expression, the kitty kneeled down next to her, placing their little paw on her back, trying to comfort the bat.  
"Don't worry, you don't have anything to fear. I'm with you now!"

  
They offered a warm and comforting smile, still holding her back, "that's what heroes do,  
afterall!"

  
Heroes…

  
Adorabat froze, the kitty's words echoing on her mind. Was that… no, it couldn't be him, he  
was… but that artifact…

  
_"Hey, Badgerclops?"_

  
_"Yeah, Adorabat?"_

  
_"What does this artifact does anyway?" She asked, starting to feel tired from walking so much._

  
_"Good thing you asked, that long lost artifact lets you go back in time by focusing on a memory. We can't let those pirates get it before us, or they might tamper with time and space, that'll make them super powerful pirates." He answered, trying to word it in a way that Adorabat could easily  
understand._

_  
"Oh! That's so cool! Can we--"_

_  
"No, we can't, Adorabat." Mao Mao interrupted, "Using the artifact is dangerous and needs to be carefully planned before use, one wrong move and you can distort time and space."_

_  
"I hate to agree, but he's right, kiddo. That's why it was sealed in the first place."_

_  
_Her heart skipped a beat as the memories of the artifact shattering into a million pieces came to her mind.

  
"--Ey! Can you hear me?.... I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?!" She was snapped of her  
thoughts by that voice, the little kitty seemed to be close to panicking, softly shaking her to get her attention.

  
"I've been practicing, I thought I was doing good… I'm sorry to have scared you," tears started threatening to fall. "Please, I'll get better just don't tell my dad--"

  
"-Mao Mao?"

  
There was silence. The young child in front of her froze for a moment before looking at her, his previous panic becoming shock and confusion. After a few tense moments, he broke the silence

  
"How… how do you know my name?"

  
She felt like she was going to faint.  
.  
.  
.  
It was an accident.

  
A mere accident.

  
Could it have been avoided? Surely, but there was nothing they could have done about it.

  
Unknowingly to them, things started to change. Just by their presence, something already changed, the longer they stayed, the more it changed.

Time was complicated, everything is linked with one another, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem at first glance, even the color of the shirt you wear can impact something forever_._

Time was complex and easy to imbalance, the artifact is able to grant such power and keep things balanced and under control.

If they had looked at themselves, they would have seen how glitchy and unstable their bodies were.

  
The one thing that was supposed to keep things in order, was shattered to pieces.  
Adorabat didn't notice right away, but a familiar glowing shard had travelled with her. It seemed to be bound to her.

  
Unknowingly to them, something small started to change.


	3. Cuteness overload

"...What?" 

"I know it's crazy!" The little bat waved her wings frantically, shushing the black kitten before he could say anything or come to any conclusions just yet. "But I swear I'm telling the truth. I'm your future deputy and I need to find older you and Badgerclops so we can fix the artifact and go back home!"

"Look at me, I'm glowing and transparent!" She exclaimed suddenly, startling the other child. He looked at her in silence, tilting his head, bearing an unreadable expression. Adorabat froze in place as she waited for a response, she knew what she just said was crazy, all of this was crazy, it's only logical that anyone would doubt her word. Mao Mao was always skeptical, always reluctant to trust people he didn't know, maybe his child self would be the same.

"That's…"

Adorabat swore her heart was about to burst from her chest, drops of sweat appearing on her skin.

_ "... Amazing!"  _ The young kitten shouted, gaining a startled yelp from Adorabat.

"So, you're from the future?! What's your name? How much in the future? You're my student? I'm your teacher?" His bright green eyes shone with excitement, his tiny body hopping in place, barely able to keep his joy. Suddenly, he halted his movements, having the expression of someone who just had the biggest realization of all times. "Do I become a cool hero like my family?!"

Mao Mao jumped forward and grabbed Adorabat by the shoulders, his tiny baby claws digging into her skin, he pulled her closer, their foreheads almost bumping into each other's, Adorabat was startled and the tiny kitten looked into her eyes desperately.  _ "Do I?!" _

_ "Yes, you do!"  _ She shouted back, partially excited as well to tell the little cat about his future self. 

"You're gonna be the coolest hero and have a super cool sword!"

"R-Really?!" Mao Mao squeaked, a smile that could easily light up the entire world on his face.

_ "Yes!"  _

_ "AAAHH! That's awesome!"  _ He let go of her shoulders and hopped in place, laughing loudly, the blue bat couldn't help but be reminded of older Mao Mao's own laugh.

Yup, that was definitely her teacher. Who could've guessed he used to be such an excitable and happy kitten, his eyes also weren't so slit and wary, always scanning every inch, as if unconsciously looking for any signs of danger, his pupils were dilated, his body language was happy, trusting, friendly, not showing the slightest sign of wariness or distrust. He was so different, deep down, she wondered if the path to becoming a hero did all of this… although she had a feeling that it might not be the only factor.

"What kind of hero do I become? How did we meet? Was I able to impress dad? Am I legendary yet?" He was speaking so quickly she barely understand the kitten's almost endless questions, she waved her wing and gestured him to calm down, baby Mao Mao, thankfully, understood and quietened, sitting down on the grass beneath them, but his eyes still shone like the sun. 

Adorabat puffed her chest and smiled. "You will become an awesome hero! The coolest one I know, in fact, let me tell you."

And thus, the two children continued to chat, the bat standing in front of the kitten, telling all the tales of their adventures, always giving a little more emphasis on Mao Mao's side of the story to give the kitten a better idea. If his eyes were shining before, they weren't anything short of blinding now, he smiled and laughed the entire time, paying close attention to every word the bat said, taking in everything his older self did, all of the things he'd accomplish, all of his skills. Also, he had a partner? A big and lovable badger called Badgerclops that he would meet in one of his adventures, the kitten smiled even more when he thought of all the cool adventures they'd have together, they'd be the best friends! 

Although Adorabat didn't leave out the fact that Mao from the future was kind of grumpy and proud, the other child seemed confused, but complied with trying to be less proud while growing up.

Honestly, she had a good time, sharing all of her adventures with someone else her age without making them fearful was great. She told her plans about becoming a legendary hero under her tutors and he cheered her on. He even showed her some of his moves and skills he had been practicing, they were nothing compared to what older Mao could do, but she clapped and cheered as he spun his wooden blade around. She wasn't really impressed, and she told him that, but what  _ she  _ could do also wasn't anywhere near her teacher's level, but they congratulates her anyways, they always told her how even those small steps could be the stepping stone for you to grow as a warrior and a person. She told him everything, and he was never happier.

It didn't take long for the subject to go back to their adventures in the future.

"That's awesome! I promise to teach you all the great stuff I'll learn in the future! I'll be the best teacher you'll ever see!"

"You will!" Adorabat cheered. "Mao Mao teaches me all sorts of cool stuff, did I tell you about the time when I tried to use a super cool robot weapon without knowing how to, and you taught me that it takes time to be a hero?"

"Nope, but it's true." The little kitty said, looking downcast for a moment, but went back to smiling so quickly that Adorabat barely noticed it. "Rushing never works anyways."

She raised an eyebrow at the sudden drop in his mood, she opened her mouth and was about to question it when her eyes were suddenly blinded by a bright flash of light, both she and the younger version of her teacher gasped and shielded their sensitive eyes from the light, being from nocturnal species, their eyes were particularly sensitive to light. Little Mao Mao was doing his best at covering his eyes with his small paws, his ears flattened to his head, fur standing on its end, Adorabat, however, hummed in confusion, her eyes weren't hurting at all, other than the shock, there wasn't no discomfort at all. As suddenly as the familiar light blue flash came to be, it disappeared, leaving behind no traces of it ever happening. While the little black kitten rubbed his eyes, Adorabat gazed at the source of the light: a glass shard.

It wasn't just any shard either, the bat's eyes widened and her stomach felt cold when she finally realized it. It was a piece of the broken artifact, the one she had barely managed to get her wings on before they were all transported there.

On the very center of it, there was a new crack.

It was breaking. The longer she was there, the more it'll break.

How could she forget about the artifact?! It was the reason they were on that mission, the reason why she went back in time in the first place, how could she forget? She already lost so much time, how long did she spend telling stories to baby Mao? What would Mao Mao and Badgerclops say if they could see that?

The artifact was breaking, what would happen to her?

Would she be stuck there forever? Would she cease existing? What about the others?

They could be anywhere, literally anywhere. How would she know? Would they ever meet again? What about the pirates?

So many questions went through her head, so much fear, but she couldn't give up just now, she had to fight, giving up wasn't something heroes did, it wasn't something Mao would do, so she couldn't give up.

_ "Yes, calm down, Adorabat."  _ She thought.  _ "Everything is going to be fi-" _

A light, but an unexpected touch on her shoulder.

"AaaAHHH!" She screeched, flapping her wings frantically, she landed on a defensive stance, but all that was behind her was a startled black kitten with fluffed fur. He seemed scared, his back arched, eyes dilated and messy fur, but he calmed down quickly after he saw he had just scared her again.

"Hey, you ok--"

"No! It's not okay!"

He jumped back again, but she was quicker and grabbed him by his overalls. "I forgot? I forgot!"

"Forgot what?!" He asked, looking beyond terrified.

"About the artifact!" She screeched once again, letting go of Mao Mao and flying to the neglected shard, still enveloped with blue light, she picked it up as carefully as she could, like it would shatter into a million pieces of she so much as made a wrong move or used too much strength.

Adorabat turned back to the young kitten. 

"I'm sorry, Mao Mao… I really, really,  _ really  _ have to go…"

He was absolutely devastated, the smile he had just a few minutes ago was gone, a pleading look in his eyes. 

"What? No, don't go!" He reached out and and threw his arms around Adorabat, squeezing her tightly and nuzzling his cheek against hers. Adorabat was taken aback, frozen in place as he loosened his hold just enough to face her, his eyes were large and watery, giving her a pleading look that could easily rival hers.

"Please, please, please! I'll do anything you want, but don't leave me here!" He hiccuped, large teardrops falling from his eyes.

"Why? What's wrong?!" She squeaked.

"Having you here was so much fun! No one ever paid attention to me, but you came and told me so much cool stuff and gave me advice and…" he was sobbing, his black fur soaked from his tears, he looked back at her, giving her a shaky smile. "You actually looked at me… you paid attention… it made me so happy, I don't wanna be alone anymore…"

_ "My dad never really paid attention to me…" he sighed, a sad look in his eyes, he looked defeated and tired. _

_ "He'd always go on and on about my sisters, how great they are, how they'd become heroes in no time… but he always brushed me aside. He'd forget my name, forget my meals, forget to pick me up from somewhere… I still remember how I was at school for a short time, but I'd always have to walk home, it was a long distance and I'd often fight the heat, rain, cold, illness and some jerk kids… but I knew waiting for my dad was pointless." _

_ "What about your sisters?" Adorabat asked, ears lowered and chest heavy. _

_ "I'm sure they just saw me as annoying… they brushed me off as well." _

_ There was silence, until Adorabat's soft and high-pitched voice broke it, her words unintentionally sending a bullet through his heart. _

_ "What about your mom? Was she also bad?" _

_ Everything was a blur after that, so many things happened, she had never seen Mao Mao cry like that, it was silent, he didn't even move a muscle, didn't make a sound, just gazed in sorrow to the wall behind Adorabat, she believed guilt also blurred her memories. _

_ But one thing she remembered, loud and clear as the day. _

_ "Alone…" Mao eventually said, much to hers and Badgerclops' surprise. "... I was so alone…" _

Adorabat barely held her tears in, the small kitten still holding her with all his might, accidentally sinking his claws in her skin, but she didn't mind, that couldn't even be considered pain compared to everything she felt at moments like those.

She wrapped her wings around him tightly, nuzzling her head against his.

"I'm sorry… I have to go…" She was barely able to force the words out of her throat, Mao Mao pulled back, still with his paws on her shoulders, softly shaking his head, giving her a desperate look, like he was ready to drop down on his knees and beg.

"M-My teachers need me… we need to fix the artifact and get it before the pirates can, or the world will be doomed…" 

"Please… I'll do anything… you're my only friend, Adorabat, I don't wanna wait twenty years to see you again…" he sobbed, burying his face in her chest at her invitation, she rubbed his back soothingly.

"I have to go, Mao…"

Mao Mao became silent and they continued hugging. She felt horrible for doing this, but if they didn't hurry, the artifact might break for good, of the pirates might be able to fix it before them, which was probably even worse, they couldn't allow them to go back to the present world with it.

Suddenly, Mao spoke again, his voice firm and determined.

"Then I'll go with you!"

_ "What?!"  _ Adorabat looked at him with confusion and disbelief.

"Please! I know you have to go, but I'm sure I can be useful somehow, just give me a chance!"

Adorabat was stunned.

"We can kick the baddies butts together!" He exclaimed, laughing maniacally, pretending to be fighting an invisible opponent.

"That is the most reckless and crazy idea and it'll definitely not go as planned…" Adorabat stated before smiling mischievously. "Let's do it."

  
  
  
  



	4. Two kids go time traveling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what you would expect from these two. Also I hope you like angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so very sorry for the months long wait and I know this is a little shorter than usual but I promise to post more often for now on
> 
> That's right folks the hiatus is over! For anyone who has stuck with this story I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
> 
> I got sick last year and with the mess that has been 2020 I just found time and energy to finish this (and a hundred other projects I had to postpone) hope you enjoy it!

“Alright! Let’s do this!” The bat and cat opened a large book with dull red cover layered with dust. The object was showing clear signs of being worn out and suffered from years upon years of being neglected in a dusty corner of a library, only being seldom picked up by the curious souls or kids who needed it for a homework assignment. The pages were thin and yellowed, being torn and bent in more than just a few places. With the utmost care, the children flipped the pages, barely batting an eye to the countless jewels and statues drawn on them, that was until they landed on a certain page, a light blue clock on a pillar in the middle of a large treasure room was drawn. 

Adorabat held out the small fragment that travelled with her, finding that despite its transparent and cracked state, it fit perfectly on the far right corner of the clock, she could even see a glimpse of a number where it had split. That was doubtless what they were looking for.

“We found it! Wooo!” The little bat cheered.

“Why doesn’t it have a name, tho?”   
She followed Mao Mao’s paw and true enough, where it should have been the name of it was a series of dashes, a single asterisk next to it.

*Name unknown.

Adorabat tilted her head in confusion. How strange.

“Mao Mao and Badgerclops just refered to it as the “Artifact” when we came looking for it...” 

“That’s... kinda boring.”

“Yeah. I guess being boring is a problem with old people.” Adorabat said and they began reading the page, most of it were things she’d already known from Badgerclops and older Mao Mao, a little bit of trivia here and there but there wasn’t much about what to do if you were stuck in the past with the child version of your teacher.

There was one part that did get their attention, however. It said the artifact itself represented the stability of time, if it broke, so did the time. Each piece would be attracted to the other, meaning of there was an attempt to use the artifact's powers while there was a piece missing, the time traveller will always be teleported to where that piece was by consequence of that. The two children looked at each other with stars in their eyes, a hopeful smile on each of their faces. 

“So we just gotta keep travelling through time to get to the missing pieces? That’s easy! We’ll finish this in no time!” Adorabat exclaimed as she twirled in joy, her transparent form glowing a little brighter.

“But can we really travel anywhere with that? It’s so cracked...” Baby Mao pointed out. Adorabat frowned in worry as she held the little glowing shard, she hated to admit it, but it was truly small and cracked and her form was slowly fading away, what if they couldn’t make it? No. She had to be positive about it, they had to at least try.

“I dunno...” Adorabat had a serious look on her eyes. “But we’re going to try anyways! Who knows where the others are? If we stay here waiting, I- we might be stuck here forever! And what if the pirates manage to piece it together instead? We need to do this. We’ll risk ourselves in a heroic act to save the artifact and the world!” She held the little piece out as she finished her speech. Baby Mao was beside her with his eyes widened and quite literally glowing as he watched his new friend in amazement, he smiled as wide as he could, showing his tiny little fangs, his tail quivered in excitement.

“I...I can be a hero...” he whispered and Adorabat placed a wing on his shoulder.

“We are going to be heroes.” She stated and Mao nodded, his eyes watering in joy.

“Thanks for bringing this book for us, Mao. Now let’s try to activate this thing!” Adorabat cheered. 

“No problem! Let’s go— wait! That’s right! The book!” He suddenly stopped and lifted the large book and made a run for it. “I gotta give it it back don’t go without me!”

Adorabat stared in disbelief for a minute, being too shocked to even say anything as the little black cat ran off. Within a minute he was a back, panting heavily as he just barely managed to stop in time before running straight into her.

“Was...that really necessary?”

“Yes! I asked one of my sisters to give it back to the library for me, a hero never returns a book late! It’s in the hero code!” Mao Mao stated with a hand on his chest.

“Is it?”

“Well, at least that’s what my dad said... Along with training everyday...and not eating cobbler...” Mao Mao’s ears folded back and he whimpered. 

“Oh!..U-uh... since you're done, let’s go save the world then!” Adorabat could go without a tiny Mao grieving over cobbler. “Yeah!” She sighed in relief as he cheered, seemed to have completely forgotten about the delicious dessert. Honestly Adorabat still couldn’t understand why the “hero code” that Mao’s family followed had so many strange things in it, she couldn’t be more thankful for him not forcing her to follow it as well. Being a hero should be fun, thrilling, you should spend your days saving people and fighting monsters, not being shackled by strange rules.

“Okay, so we gotta focus. Oh, this will be veeeery uncomfortable by the way.” Adorabat winced as she recalled the horrible aches she woke up with. 

“It’s okay, I can handle it!” The little cat answered, placing his paws on the glowing shard with her, making it flicker and start glowing even brighter. Reality around them began to appear distorted.

“C’mon, bring us to the other pieces!” Adorabat exclaimed, a determined smile on her face.

  
“Pretty please!” Baby Mao added, his eyes quite literally glowing in excitement.

The blue light flickered and faded away. Just when the two children thought it failed, there was a bright flash of light and the lush green forest disappeared from around them.

Adorabat was an anomaly in that period of time, she left, but brought Mao Mao with her, making him miss his “training session”.

That would have been very problematic in the long run had his family paid much attention to him in the first place to notice the little kitten’s absence.

* * *

_Ugh..._

God, he had never felt so horrible after a nap. Badgerclops groaned as he stretched his arms, his bones popped a bit. 

The clock had certainly gave them a bumpy ride. His head ached worse than when Mao Mao would ramble on and on about "hero duties" or whatever. Badgerclops huffed and crossed his arms. If that grumpy cat had just listened to him in the first place none of that would have happened, they would have gotten the artifact before the pirates and would be currently in the process of putting it in a new and safer hiding place.

But maybe he had been too harsh before? His ears flattened, an uncertain frown appeared on his face. Truth is Mao Mao is a great person, just too serious and confident in his abilities. If he were being honest and pushing past his feelings, he actually missed having the black cat around, and Adorabat too. 

Naturally, he was more concerned about the tiny blue bat. As strong and determined as Adorabat could be, she was still a child, small and inexperienced. Goodness knows what she could get herself into.

He searched in his bag, pulling out a clock piece, his had been a piece of the clockwork, the small pieces somehow continued to function despite missing several others, but their performance had greatly diminished.

He wasn't sure if he should risk going anywhere in time with this tiny broken shard, maybe he should at least wait until his head stopped spinning.

The place he was in was unfamiliar to him, due to his body being transparent and glowing a bit, he decided to stay out of sight for the moment, the less people saw him the Les he would mess with time and risk making things way worse than they need to be.

He heard music. He turned towards it, curious, it sounded so sad.

There was little to no people around that specific area of the park. He actually passed through the bushes not unlike a ghost.

Sitting all alone on a branch was a young giraffe, curled up, earphones blasting a sad rock song. They seemed so familiar.

Ramaraffe?


	5. Local badger tries to give advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Badgerclops constantly switches between being the voice of reason and seeing nothing wrong with giving a child a destructive weapon, there's no in-between.  
Sorry for the rather short chapter, but I'd like to give the spotlight to these two for now ;)

“Ramaraffe?...”

He hadn’t realized he had spoken her name aloud until the young girl had flinched and turned around, her look of fear and surprise giving place to confusion as she eyed his transparent form. How did she even hear him with such loud music? Badgerclops silently cursed and hid back behind the tall bushes, but even he knew it was too late. In a desperate effort not to temper with the timelines any further, the badger tried to tip toe away from there, maybe if he were lucky enough she’d think he was a ghost or that she was just imagining things.

“Found you!”

Badgerclops yelped and instinctively readied his blaster, but the young giraffe seemed oblivious to the danger it meant, only giggling to herself at his reaction, which made Badgerclops sigh and put down his weapon, he really didn’t mean to do that, but fighting monsters and pirates for ages made you react that way when surprised. Deep down he was relieved at her oblivious nature, he really didn’t want to scare her.

“He he, you’re terrible at this game. I found you so quick!” She bragged, giving him a bright and proud smile.

“Uh...what?”

“You hid, so I went to find you. That’s how the game works, right?” Ramaraffe asked, genuine confusion in her eyes.  
Badgerclops was about to speak before hesitating and reconsidering his next words. This could very well make their situation so much worse if he said the wrong thing, but ultimately he had no idea what could he do to avoid a huge disaster, she had already seen him so there wasn’t much option left. In the end, he resorted to doing what he did best to deal with stressful situations: just go with the flow and hope everything rights itself eventually.

“Oh, right. Yeah, you found me.” He faked defeat, shrugging as if to say “oops”.  
Ramaraffe did not seem to notice the obvious tone in his voice and cheered to celebrate her victory.

“Yeah! I’m the best at this game! No one can beat me.” She stated proudly.

“You’re right, don’t know what I was thinking.” 

“Ha, bet didn’t- wait, who are you again? I’ve never seen you around here?” She tilted her head and looked up and down at him curiously, attempting to recall where she had seen the badger before, if she ever did. Perhaps someone new had moved in to town recently? 

“Oh-i...uh...” Badgerclops stuttered nervously, unsure how to proceed. Then, in a moment of pure brilliance, he smiled and puffed up his chest, placing his paws on his hips. “I’m a figment of your imagination.”

“Uh?” Kid Ramaraffe looked up in surprise.  
“Yeah! Can’t you see how transparent I am?” Badgerclops gestured to his see through body, ignoring the urge to wince at the mention of it. “Or my cool, supernatural, and totally not related to any malfunctioning magical artifact, glowing aura?” he was, indeed, quite literally glowing.

The young giraffe seemed more amazed as Badgerclops continued to list out the “evidences”. She squealed and jumped up, looking at the adult with amazement.

“Like in the movies?! Are you a part of my mind that came to help me?!” 

Badgerclops hesitated a bit, but the hopeful eyes she was giving him, pushed him to nod and smile. “Yup. Although I also could use-” He didn’t have time to finish his sentence as the pre-teen cheered and jumped towards him with open arms, her plan to envelope him with a giraffe hug was, unfortunately, ruined by the fact he was less than tangible at the moment, she passed right through him and crash landed into the bushes. Badgerclops rushed towards her, automatically trying to help her up, but as his arm went straight through her and she was already picking herself up, he resorted to simply checking if she was alright.

“I’m alright!” She exclaimed before he could ask, a beaming smile on her face despite the few scratches she had gotten from the plant’s thorns. “I’m the toughest giraffe around here!” She laughed, picking herself up with ease. Badgerclops laughed, a few traces of relief still present in his voice, but he doubted the young girl had paid attention to that. Despite it all, she really was very strong and resilient.

“I don’t doubt it.” 

She walked over to him, throwing her arms around him like a hug, but without actual contact, she just held her arms around him, the closest thing to a hug at the moment.   
“I’m so happy you came, imagination badger...I was so alone.” She smiled sadly, Badgerclops did his best to return the hug, making circular motions on her back in a comforting gesture.

“What’s wrong, little buddy?” He kneeled down to her level, his previous smile now being replaced by a concerned frown as he made eye contact with her. She really did look like she had been crying for a while, although her tears had long since dried, her eyes still had a little but if red in them and her fur was still slightly damp. She fumbled on what to say for a moment, looking away from him and fumbling with her sports jersey. Eventually she mumbled something too quiet for him to make out the words, upon his incentive to repeat it, she whispered quietly.

“Promise...you won’t call me dumb too?”  
Badgerclops flinched, but then smiled and nodded affirmatively, holding out his pinkie.   
“I promise.”

“Well...I...” Ramaraffe continued to struggle, but he waited patiently, giving her a comforting smile. It appeared to work as she smiled back and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she blurted out. “I’m getting kicked out of the sports team because my grades are low.” The little giraffe almost looked like she was expecting the worst to happen as she turned away from him and wrapped her arms around her body.

“You mean they’re not letting you play?! That’s horrible.” She perked up and eyed the badger with wonder in her eyes, as if the concept of an adult sympathizing with her situation was crazy talk. She quickly became more comfortable and began venting to her new friend, her gestures becoming more frantic as she went on and her frustration began to show itself.

“I just...I can’t understand anything! I try, I swear I do, but everytime the teachers begin to lecture my mind just...falls asleep. Like, I don’t sleep but my brain does, you know?” Ramaraffe attempted to explain as she paced back and forth. “Playing with our team is the only thing I can do right. My parents said they’re proud of me anyways, but because my grades are low the school’s not letting me play anymore!” She kicked a nearby pebble that was innocently sitting on the grass, it was sent flying through the treetops and scaring a family of birds that had made their nest nearby, but thankfully the small rock had been too far to actually cause any damage, Badgerclops silently prayed no one would be unlucky enough to be passing by right now. His attention, however, was quickly shifted back to the pre-teen as she sighed sadly.

“Sports are the only thing I like doing at school, other than hanging out with my pals, that is...and the cafeteria brownies are good too...” she hummed at the memory of the delicious treats before slapping her cheeks softly, trying to focus. 

“If I can’t play, then what can I do with my life? Should I drop out? Should I keep at it and hope I can get a good enough grade eventually?...” She sat back down and hugged her legs close to her chest. 

“What do you think, imagination badger?”

Now, Badgerclops considered himself many things: smart, handsomely soft and a great mechanic, but a psychiatrist or anything similar were definitely not on that list. He was the voice of reason for the group several times before, but he still wouldn’t consider himself as a person anyone could count on for great advice for any situation. Even he messed up quite badly every now and then, as difficult as it was to admit his mistakes, he was very aware of them. Could he really give a good advice to her? This is Ramaraffe's life, he had no idea what would be a good path for her to take. He took a deep breath and sat down beside her, being careful not to accidentally take up all the space.

“...Only you can make that decision.”

Understandably, she looked up with disappointment in her eyes, she was about to speak up with her Badgerclops placed a claw over her mouth, although it provided no physical barrier for her, she still remained quiet much to his relief.

“Because you should do what makes you happy, and only you know what truly makes you happy, that’s why you’re the only one that can make that decision.” He stated, a knowing smile plastered on his face.

“But...I don’t know how...” She lowered her head, lowering her gaze to look at the grass ahead of them, suddenly finding the blade shaped leaves incredibly interesting.  
He thought for a few moments, searching in his mind for any ideas that might help. What Ramaraffe needed was a journey of self discovery! Is her love for sports worth more than the school’s system? He knew it was, but what he knew was worth nothing if Ramaraffe did not understand that as well. She was going through an important decision in her life and she should make her own conclusion, not just follow what he said.  
The broken clock piece glowed softly inside his bag and he smiled. Having young Ramaraffe around just might help connect with present day Ramaraffe, assuming each one of them got a piece of the clock, and even if it didn’t, he was still doing a good deed to a kid in need. It might just destroy the timelines even more but oh well, there was only so much he could do.

“Say, Rama...” he turned to her, still holding the glowing piece, “what do you say in going on an adventure of a lifetime?”

“An adventure?” She repeated, child like wonder in her eyes as they landed on the sparkling piece.

“Yes, you heard me.” Badgerclops smirked as he stood up, holding out the artifact. “This glowing piece here used to be a legendary clock that could make anyone travel back and forth in time.” 

“Woooo...” Ramaraffe, somehow, was able to look even more amazed than before, reaching out to the piece, only for it to be pulled away from her reach before her hooves could touch its surface. 

“But, as ya can see, it’s broken.” 

“Oh no!”

“Yes! And now me and my friends are lost somewhere in time and space, the only way to find them and go back home is to rebuild this clock. We need to collect its pieces.” Badgerclops reached out his hand towards the young giraffe, smiling warmly.

“You definitely could use something to take your mind off this situation, surely an adventure could help you find yourself, wanna try to help me?” 

Ramaraffe was speechless, her mouth opening and closing much like a fish’s as she struggled to find her voice once again. There were so many things she wanted to say, things she wanted to ask, excitement, doubt, everything was bubbling in her chest as she eventually pushed herself enough to respond.

“Like...Like in the movies, you mean? I can go on an adventure?!” She was practically bouncing.

“Yup! And as long as you don’t jump into trouble alone, you should be fine, you’re though after all.”

“Yes! Whatever comes my way, I can handle it!”

“So...what do you say, little buddy? Wanna help this badger here find his friends?” Badgerclops asked.

Ramaraffe smiled brightly, determination and excitement shining in her eyes. She reached to his hand and attempted to high five it, but when she went right through him again, she giggled sheepishly and resorted to trying again but stopping herself just moments before touching his hand. “You bet I do!”

**Author's Note:**

> Am I posting yet another Mao Mao story? Yes I am.


End file.
